Wire reel



1967 R. ATKINSON 3,319,906

WIRE REEL Filed Aug. 5, 1965 76 /7z/ 765 72 ,20 78 I g 76/ /5 INVENTOR.

05227 1 Arm/v50 ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent Ofiice 3,319,996 Patented May 16, 1967 3,319,906WIRE REEL Robert L. Atkinson, 1110 Custom Way, Springfield, Oreg. 97477Filed Aug. 3, 1965, Ser. No. 476,935 7 Claims. (Cl. 242-106) Thisinvention relates to wire reels, and more particularly to a wire reelespecially constructed and arranged for use by electricians and the likefor unreeling a purchased spool of wire during the wiring of a buildingor other similar uses.

When electricians wire a partially constructed building, theycustomarily utilize reels r spools of wire that are purchased from awiring manufacturer. Ordinarily, the purchased spool of wire is placedon the floor of a building and the wire is allowed to unspool whenunreeled by the person installing it. This customarily leads to atangled mass of wire on the floor of the construction area and producesa plurality of tight loops or kinks which must be straightened out priorto securement to a wall, beam, ceiling or the like. It will be seentherefore, that considerable unnecessary time and effort is spent byelectricians or their helpers in straightening out or removing tightloops and kinks during such an installation.

It is accordingly a primary object of the instant invention to provide awire reel which may be readily moved from place to place and is arrangedto accommodate a conventional spool of wire or the like.

Another object of the instant invention is to provide a wire reel havinga first axis of rotation about which a spool of wire may be placed and asecond substantially perpendicular axis of rotation to allow formovement of the electrician or wirer without requiring the repositioningof the wire reel.

A further object of the instant invention is to provide a wire reelhaving a pair of upstanding flanges for constraining the sides of aspool of purchased wire with one of these flanges being removablymounted to provide for the convenient and rapid positioning of thepurchased spool of wire on the wire reel of the instant invention.

A still further object of the instant invention is to provide means fortemporarily securing the Wire reel of the instant invention to a fixedmember, such as an overhead beam.

A more specific object of the instant invention is to provide aninverted substantially J-shaped attachment means by which the wire reelof the instant invention may be readily placed and removed from anoverhanging beam or the like.

Still another object of the instant invention is to provide a wire reelwhich is inexpensively manufactured, which is long lasting and whichrequires no maintenance.

Other objects and advantages of the instant invention reside in thecombinations of elements, arrangements of parts, and features ofconstruction and operation, all as will be more fully pointed outhereinafter and disclosed in the accompanying drawing wherein there isshown a preferred embodiment of this inventive concept.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the wire reel of the instantinvention temporarily secured on a horizontal beam represented in dottedlines;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view of the device of FIGURE 1illustrating a spool of wire secured thereon; and

FIGURE 3 is an exploded cross-sectional view taken along line 33 ofFIGURE 2 emphasizing the removable nature of one of the flanges of thewire reel of the instant invention.

Referring now to the drawing in detail wherein like reference charactersdesignate like elements throughout the several views thereof, there isindicated generally at 10 a wire reel having as its major components aspool receiving means shown generally at 12 receiving a spool of Wire14, a first mounting means indicated generally at 16 mounting spoolreceiving means 12 about a first axis and a second mounting meansdesignated generally at 18 mounting first mounting means 16 about asubstantially perpendicular axis and temporarily securing wire reel 10to a horizontal beam 20.

Spool receiving means 12 includes a preferably hollow central hub 22,which may be of any convenient configuration, but which is preferablysubstantially cylindrical, adjacent a first flange 24 which extendssubstantially beyond the periphery of hub 22. First flange 24 ispreferably a thin circular plate carrying a pair of substantiallyperpendicular bolts 26, 28 threaded on the free end thereof as at 39, 32wth threaded portions 30, 32 extending beyond the end of central hub 22.Central hub 22 includes an end portion 34 having an enlarged centralindentation 36 communicating with a coaxial opening 38 for purposes morefully explained hereinafter.

First mouting means 16 includes a bolt 40 extending through a centralopening 42 in flange 24 and is provided with a nut 44 or other similarsecuring means residing in indentation 36 of end portion 34. A washer 46is positioned on the outer side of flange 24 and spaces a pair ofcircular collars 48, 50 away from flange 24. It should be seen that theconstruction of first mounting means 16 secures hub 22 to flange 24 andalso allows the rotation of hub 22 and flange 24 with respect to bolt oraxle 40.

The remainder of spool receiving means 12 includes a flange 52 ofsimilar configuration to flange 24 providing a pair of apertures 54, 56spaced to receive the threaded portions 31), 32 of bolts 26, 28. Secondflange 52 is secured to bolts 26, 28 by a pair of wing nuts 58, 60. Itwill be seen that second flange 52 is removably mounted with respect tocentral hub 22 such that a purchased spool of wire may be easily andrapidly placed on hub 22 in preparation for the wiring of a building orthe like.

Second mounting means 18 includes a first mounting member showngenerally at 62 providing a substantially straight portion 64 to whichis perpendicularly secured an apertured member 66. Secured to straightsection 64 away from apertured member 66 is an S-shaped member 68 havinga straight portion 70 on the end thereof received between circularflanges 48, 50 of first mounting means 14. It will be seen that theprovision of S-shaped portion 68 results in the entirety of secondmounting means 18 being positioned away from and out of interferencewith Wire 14 as it may be unspooled.

Second mounting means 18 includes a second mounting member showngenerally at 72 providing a first straight section 74 at the upper endof which is secured a straight section 76 carrying a perepndicularmember 78 parallel to and of lesser extent than first straight member 74forming an inverted substantially Lshaped attachment means receivinghorizontal beam 26 therein. Second mounting means 72 includes a secondperpendicular straight section 79 forming an aperture therein. Theapertures of sections 66, 79 of first and second mounting mmebers 62, 72are aligned by a bolt 80 receiving a pair of threaded nuts 82 on the endthereof. It will be seen that bolt 80 acts as a pivot connection betweenfirst and second mounting members 62, 72 and is substantiallyperpendicular with respect to axle 40 of first mounting means 16.

In the use of wire reel 10, an electrician or the like may remove secondflange 52 by unthreading wing nuts 58, 60 and may place a purchasedspool of wire about central hub 22. Second flange 52 is then re-attachedto central hub 22 and wire reel is temporatrily alfixed to a beam or thelike allowing the workman to withdraw suitable amounts of wire 14 fromspool receiving portion 12 with flanges 24, 52 and hub 22 undergoing thenecessary rotation about axle 40 of first mounting means 16.

When the electrician finds it necessary to move about the constructionarea, which is something that cannot be avoided, a slight pull on wire14 will rotate first mounting member 62 with respect to second mountingmember 72 such that wire reel 10 need not be repositioned when theelectrician works about the interior of a partially constructed room.

When the previously used spool of wire is exhausted, it is necessaryonly to remove second flange 52 and insert a new spool after which theWiring operation may be completed. If it is necessary to move from oneroom to another, the attachment means formed by second mounting member72 may be removed from the overhead beam and taken to the new work areaand positioned in a similar location.

It is apparent that wire reel 10 may be constructed of any desirablematerial, such as metal, plastic or any other suitable material.

It is now seen that there is herein provided an improved wire reelhaving all of the advantages of the instant invention and others,including many advantages of great practical utility and commercialimportance.

Since many embodiments may be made of the instant inventive concept, andsince many modifications may be made of the embodiment hereinbeforeshown and described, it is understood that the foregoing description isto be interpreted merely as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A wire reel comprising a hub about which a wire may be woundincluding two ends, a periphery, and a central axis,

a pair of flanges, one of said flanges secured to said hub adjacent oneend thereof and another of said flanges secured to said hub adjacent theother end, said flanges extending beyond said periphery of said hub,

first mounting means mounting said hub for rotation about said centralaxis,

second mounting means mounting said first mounting means for universalrotation about an axis at an angle to said central axis, said secondmounting means providing temporary attachment means for loosely securingsaid second mounting means to a fixed member.

2. Awire reel comprising a hub about which a wire may be wound includinga first end, -a second end, a periphery and a central axis, said hubbeing symmetrical about said axis,

a first flange secured adjacent said first end of said hub and extendingbeyond said periphery of said hub,

21 second flange secured adjacent said second end of 1slaid hub andextending beyond said periphery of said first mounting means mountingsaid hub and said flanges for rotation about said central axis, saidfirst mounting means extending through said first flange providing anextension, and

second mounting means mounting said extension of said first moutingmeans for universal rotation about an axis substantially perpendicularto said central axis, said second mounting means providing temporaryattachment means for loosely securing said second mounting means to afixed member.

3. The structure of claim 2 wherein said second mounting lies wholly toone side of an extension of said first flange.

4. The structure of claim 2 including means removably mounting saidsecond flange on said hub.

5. The structure of claim 2 wherein said temporary attachment meansincludes an inverted substantially J- shaped member.

6. A wire reel comprising a substantially cylindrical hub about which awire may be wound including two ends, a periphery and a central axis, afirst substantially circular flange fixedly perpendicularly carrying oneend of said hub at the center of said flange, said first flangeextending substantially beyond said periphery of said hub, at least onethreaded bolt extending substantially parallel with respect to said axisof said cylindrical hub beyond said second end, a second substantiallycircular flange providing at least one aperture receiving said threadedbolt, at least one wing nut secured on said threaded bolt fixing saidsecond flange to said hub, first mounting means including an axlecoaxial with said axis of said hub mounting said hub for rotation aboutsaid central axis, said axle extending through said first mounting meansand second mounting means including a first mounting member secured tosaid axle of said first mounting means, a second mounting memberproviding an inverted substantially J-shaped attachment member providingmeans for temporarily securing said second mounting member to a fixedmember and means pivotally mounting said first mounting member on saidsecond mounting member substantially perpendicular to said axle of saidfirst mounting means for universal relative rotation therebetween.

7. The invention of claim 1 wherein:

the hub comprises,

a cylindrical member, and

an end closure having a central indent and a central aperture closingone end of the cylindrical member;

the pair of flanges comprises, I

a first flange having a central aperture and additional aperturesadjacent the central aperture fixedly secured to the other end of thecylindrical member, and

a second flange having apertures corresponding to the additionalapertures in said first flange;

said hub further comprising,

at least two bolts extending through said additional apertures in saidfirst flange and the apertures in the second flange securing said secondflange to one end of the cylindrical member;

said first mounting means comprises,

an axle extending coaxially with the cylindrical member through thecentral apertures in the first flange and the end closure rotatablysupporting said hub,

means on one end of the axle disposed in the central indent in theclosure member securing said axle in said hub,

a pair of collar means on the other end of the axle for receiving thesecond mounting means, and

means proximate the other end of the axle for spacing said secondmounting means from said hub; and

said second mounting means comprises,

an elongate member secured to the other end of the axle at one end andhaving a universal pivotal portion at the other,

a hook member for suspending said reel vertically from an overheadmember, said hook member being in the configuration of an inverted I andhaving a universal pivot member on an extended portion thereof, and

5 6 means securing the pivot members rotatably to- 1,127,243 2/1915Hedges 242106 gether for universal rotation relative to each 2,096,96510/1937 Howsam 242118.6 other to permit universal rotation of said reel.2,518,072 8/ 1950 Rushworth 242107.1 2,805,100 9/1957 Shaver 242-106 XReferences Cited y the Examiner 5 2,964,258 12/1960 Kutil 242 106 UNITEDSTATES PATENTS E, 505,837 10/1893 Lewis FRANK I HE Pllmww Yammer 603 9405 1393 Carkin 243 34 N. L. MINTZ, Assistant Examiner.

1. A WIRE REEL COMPRISING A HUB ABOUT WHICH A WIRE MAY BE WOUNDINCLUDING TWO ENDS, A PERIPHERY, AND A CENTRAL AXIS, A PAIR OF FLANGES,ONE OF SAID FLANGES SECURED TO SAID HUB ADJACENT ONE END THEREOF ANDANOTHER OF SAID FLANGED SECURED TO SAID HUB ADJACENT THE OTHER END, SAIDFLANGES EXTENDING BEYOND SAID PERIPHERY OF SAID HUB, FIRST MOUNTINGMEANS MOUNTING SAID HUB FOR ROTATION ABOUT SAID CENTRAL AXIS, SECONDMOUNTING MEANS MOUNTING SAID FIRST MOUNTING MEANS FOR UNIVERSAL ROTATIONABOUT AN AXIS AT AN ANGLE TO SAID CENTRAL AXIS, SAID SECOND MOUNTINGMEANS PROVIDING TEMPORARY ATTACHMENT MEANS FOR LOOSELY SECURING SAIDSECOND MOUNTING MEANS TO A FIXED MEMBER.